First a quick note: I’ll be out of pocket for the next few days. But fear not! I have a good bench in place and they should be able to carry you through. If not, let me know and I’ll be sure to waive them when I get back.
Cole Aldrich, in his latest post at Dime: Someone asked me the other day to compare Coach Brooks and Coach Self. I would say the main thing that sticks out is both of their philosophies are defensive-minded. If you look at the teams that have won NBA championships, they were strong defensive teams like Boston and the Lakers. In terms of differences, Coach Brooks is probably a slight bit more laid back than Coach Self. He always expects a lot out of you, and he’ll get after you a little more.
It’s getting kind of hard to tell Russell Westbrook and LeBron James apart.
Darnell Mayberry makes a case for Greg Oden in OKC: “I don’t know how far OKC will be under the cap next season. Nobody does since the rules of a new collective bargaining agreement are still in the balance. But Oden is worth taking a considerable chance on. It’s not my money, but I’d jump at a deal starting at $2 million per. I’d probably go as high as $3.5 million per and strongly consider a $4 million annual salary over, say, three years. Maybe that’s too much. Maybe that’s not nearly enough and a franchise like New York outbids everyone to make Oden the latest in a long line of overpaid centers in a Knicks uniform. But, if I’m Presti, Oden would definitely be in my sights next summer.”
The Blazers will probably extend a qualifying offer to Greg Oden.
KD has a custom link shortner now and for some reason, it’s news to the SportsCenter blog: “As for Durant, he’ll just have to be mindful of the links he shortens. Sure, durant.is/amazing makes total sense and is pretty straightforward. But on the other hand, durant.is/sadpanda is a little more confusing. And honestly, it’s a bit of a downer too – so please Kevin, don’t go that route. Any chance durant.is/listening?”
If Kevin Durant was a dolphin.
From a Thunder press release: “The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that its first official watch party of the season, presented by Budweiser, will be on Friday during the Thunder’s matchup at Boston. The watch party will take place at Buffalo Wild Wings on N.W. Expressway beginning at 6 p.m.”
Opps, the above "anon.." abougt "ITs not fair should be attributed to me, Daniel Plainview, and my son H.W.
@Anonymous
Then you are not a believer of the Thunder. (don't you even call your statement realistic either. I have tons of stats to prove you other wise)
@Anonymous 2
Don't you say people put their jobs in front of their own happiness. It might sound childish and naïve but it is not. It is a misconception that some arrogant people made up. They get paid to play basketball but that's not all they are suppose to do. They are suppose to win and GM's understand that. That is why they get the best player's they can and surround them with the best pieces possible to WIN (sorry for the caps but it is to show the importance of the word)
Anonymous :
i wonder how stupid you guys are.
You really still wanna argue that you're not a troll?
i wonder how stupid you guys are. thunder have no chance with harden or tabo starting we need a new lineup wes green durant baka and collison
@Sammy
ahh misread you're post, I agree with Anonymous going a little overboard.
@dream catcher
And on another note I think people forget this is a Job to these guys, they get paid to play basketball. You see it all the time when someone gets traded and picks up right where they left off..sure it takes a little time to get chemistry down but lets not pretend this is heart surgery…
@dream catcher
I do like how you put that, and I don't totally disagree with it...but this is the NBA people don't stick around..sure We will keep a couple of the guys here for a while, but the team we are watching now will be a lot different 3 years from now.
@Sammy
I don't see where I did any of those things listed...but ok
as long as everyone sticks together, and with this group of men we have on this team I think they will.
sounds like cliches after cliches but its all true. Chemistry and togetherness, forming a bond, going through the successes and struggles helps out in the long run.
When you are with a group of people you like, the longer you stay together the bigger the bond is, the better the strength you have together, you feel like you can do anything together, you feel like nothing is impossible. That's what this team and Presti is trying to accomplish.
@Sammy
Nothing tops saying I would trade Kahn for Presti.
In a couple years when we have the same core group together and they are on top of the NBA the reason why is because of last year, this year , next year and all those successes and struggles. This only makes the group stronger.
Anonymous 2 :
Anonymous does bring up a lot of good points. 10 year plan is just plain silly when you are talking about the NBA, heck a 5 year plan is a joke now…it’s the win now league, Championships or bust…..this team is missing pieces, and when top teams are missing pieces they usually go and get them.
sigh, people just don't get this simple point..............Presti believes as do I, that we ALREADY have the core pieces to be a Champion. We just need patience to let our guys develop. We are in a win now and want everything now society(I am a part of that) but I understand where Presti is coming from. This dude is old school to a T.
@Anonymous 2
The 10-year window comment was pretty out there, but that's no reason to start insulting posters and go on about how the franchise is ruined because James Harden is a total bust and Presti is a hack and an idiot.
@MartzMimic
yeah we will defend against interlopers.
@Anonymous 2
and the win now is why teams are losing money and we are on the verge of a lockout.
Anonymous does bring up a lot of good points. 10 year plan is just plain silly when you are talking about the NBA, heck a 5 year plan is a joke now…it’s the win now league, Championships or bust…..this team is missing pieces, and when top teams are missing pieces they usually go and get them.
I love our regular posters. Seriously. We're a microcosm of and have bought in big time to the Thunder's whole "We are Family" organizational culture. We crucify our guys on a regular basis, but let someone come in and start talking smack, and we "Rise Together" in defense of those same players. Reminds me of a time someone told me my cousin was fat, and my first thought was, "Yeah, but don't you wish your crack whore daughter's biggest problem was her weight?"
@Anonymous
yoru life long commitment of 2 years and a month? man i wonder what you will do when we are bad again
@justin
If Iggy's contract were one year shorter, I would be all over trying to trade to bring him in since it keeps our options open for Ibaka's extension.
I don't really see a lot of big plays to make out there outside Marc Gasol and I doubt we're the only team with that idea.
Players like Nene don't excite me at all. I think he's good, but I have a hard time seeing him as a difference maker for our franchise for the next several years.
How is Westbrook going to score 40 and we win. Rondo is going to have a field day. Wont be seing any small lineup today.
@Chocolate Ginobili
I dont think so
@Anonymous
russ will be extended for at least 3 more years after rookie deal, and even then i doubt he leaves if we pay him.
jealous of roster moves of the wolves, cause darko is so amazing and rubio has made such a great nba impact and giving away al jefferson for nothing.
@Anonymous
How long until computer lab is over? 20 minutes?
I'm laughing at your melodrama. You might quit your lifetime commitment as a Thunder fan? What a big decision! I didn't say anything about picks or profits or improvement.
@Anonymous
You don't think calling the Harden pick a "franchise ruiner" at 10 games into his second season qualifies as hyperbole or unnecessarily antagonistic? Or saying Presti's goal is to create a perennial one-and-done team? Tone it down, man. Posting anonymously doesn't really help either.
@justin
Certainly could've been worse. We could have drafted Brandan Wright, Yi, or Spencer Hawes. Still can't believe how weak that class was.
Mark! :@Sammy
There are certain trolls I refuse to feed, but I make a personal distinction when it comes to antagonizing angsty teenagers.
So Mark, our team/roster as is can compete for a title this year/next year?
You don't think Presti needs to acquire proven talent rather than wasting draft picks? I dont think im being unreasonable, and im old enough to be your daddy, son.
@Anonymous
did you forget that presti turned over the entire roster except for nick collison? so he made a whole bunch of moves.
rubio still might not end up in a wolves uniform, he can just re-enter the draft if he waits. Beyond the fact that in a triangle he wont be very good anyway.
@Sammy
yeah a hall of fame career can be derailed, but for every player that happens to, probably 2 or 3 players that it didnt. The win now mentality tends to backfire more than it works.
Who let 4chan in?
@Greg
http://www.nba.com/draft2007/board/mock.html
He was mocked at 9th on average.
Greg :@justin Was Green considered a slight reach at the time?
http://www.nba.com/draft2007/board/mock.html
It wasn't that much of a reach, he was mocked anywhere from 5 to 13.
@Sammy
No troll here buddy im a Durant fan since his texas days and at first i liked our team direction, but it's obvious Presti is playing this wait and grow game, when we could win a title with a Paul Milsapp/Kevin Love type banger right now, we are so close but if we dont make a move right now we are screwed next 5 years, when the heat have a year together under their belt and actually improve their team this summer(they will) they will be unstoppable barring injury the next 5 years, we need to make a big move....Nobody Agrees????
I agree with Simmons if his point is that the Thunder have to figure out what their core is now and build around that. People say 'be patient', well, next year Westbrook will be extended and we'll have to high priced players who are productive. This is the time to win, when they are young. Waiting and hoping doesn't do anything.
This is really the last offseason where the team will have a decent amount of flexibility to bring in a difference maker. Not taking action is an action...
@Sammy
There are certain trolls I refuse to feed, but I make a personal distinction when it comes to antagonizing angsty teenagers.
But i guess me and Bill Simmons and anyone else not riding Presti's **** realize that we are not gunning for titles just 1 and done playoff appearances, Presti is not nailing the draft the last 2 years and not making trades or signing free agents, he needs to step it up, and im not a minnesota fan just jealous of their gm/team moves
@Mark!
What happened to 'don't feed the trolls'? :)
Anonymous :
im second guessing my commitment to being a lifetime thunder fan
Wow, are you sure you want to break that commitment? How much history are you thinking of leaving behind?
@Chocolate Ginobili
Thank you and im nominating you for worst screenname of the year consideration "chocolate ginobli" what is that a candy bar?
Durant will have close to 40,000 minutes in ten years. He won't be the same player at that point, though of all our young guys I'd say he has a good shot at re-inventing his game to cope with age.
Karl Malone and Kareem are the only players who surpassed 40,000 minutes while maintaining close to their prime productivity.
@justin
Was Green considered a slight reach at the time?
Everyone knows 29 is over the hill. Duh!
Presti has shown he's willing to take draft risks (Westbrook).
@Anonymous
I'm nominating that for worst post of the year consideration.
10 year window is a little ridiculous. KD will have lost a step well before that.
@AC
If Harden had a 'chip on his shoulder' he would be more agressive.
Sammy :
I don’t think Simmons is a particularly good NBA analyst, but I agree with pretty much everything he says in his latest column about the Thunder.
Specifically this part:
The concern with Harden? He might be another Marvin Williams: solid player, good character guy, a borderline starter … but ultimately pretty forgettable (other than his Kimbo Slice beard). How would you even describe him? Decent 3-point shooter. Decent athlete (not great). Streaky scorer. Doesn’t fill the box score. Disappears for minutes at a time. I know he’ll get better, but with how the Zombies were built, don’t they need him to get significantly better? And soon?
That No. 3 pick is starting to feel more and more like a fork-in-the-road moment for the Zombies: like Atlanta passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams, or Detroit ending up with Darko over Carmelo, or (going in the other direction) Orlando settling on Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor. They had one last chance to find a third blue-chipper before becoming a perennial playoff team. Did they fail? Is Harden just a poor fit? How much longer do they have to wait for him? Should they sell high right now and flip him to Philly with Mo Peterson’s expiring contract for Andre Iguodala (once Iggy is healthy)?
Sam Presti’s thinking seems to be “There’s no rush, we have plenty of time.” But Durant is a superstar right now. Westbrook is one of the league’s best guards right now. How do we know those two realities will remain in place in five years? Look at how fast Tracy McGrady’s career went south. Same for Vince Carter, Chris Webber, Yao Ming, Jermaine O’Neal, Grant Hill, Larry Johnson, Shawn Kemp, Penny Hardaway, Kevin Johnson … you just never know. If you have two of the league’s best 15 players and one of them is an MVP favorite, then you’re a title contender. Whether you want to admit it or not
Man i hate thunder fans like you, a "ten year window" are you serious?????? Ten years from now there might not even be an NBA, let alone KD and RUSS in their prime, you think there wont be new talent coming into the league??? People said Shaq and Penny had 10 year window,Cavs had 10 year window, you never know what will happen,what if Russ leaves as a free agent(im sure he will) we are 1 impact bigman away from competing for the title this year, if Kobe or Pierce get hurt anybody can win it, not making good moves, and completely missing on the 3rd pick in a draft with 5 franchise players is like Bill Simmons said "franchise ruiner" im so sick of the lets pick homegrown talent and wait and see b.s. im second guessing my commitment to being a lifetime thunder fan, i hate Presti and his b.s. plan lets play together get the 8 seed everyyear draft non contributors and waste KD's once in a 100 year potential...****..i wish we had different GM..
@Anonymous
Good one, Kahn.
@f5alcon
I understand the reasoning behind the Harden pick. I was okay with it, even though I wanted Curry. My reasoning for wanting Curry is pretty much perfectly encapsulated by the last two graphs in the section I quoted. I like Harden, he still has a chance to blossom into a great starter and it's far too early to call him a Marvin Williams-type pick. But if that's indeed what he turns out to be, I don't know how you can't say Presti missed the boat in that draft. No one knows how long KD and Westbrook's windows will be. Look at that list of players in Simmons' last graph. Hall of fame careers can be derailed in a heartbeat.
Anonymous :@ThunderHorn
I dont get why people keep talking smack about David Kahn the guy has turned it around in minnesota, they have their best team since KG-Cassel-Spree days, and i promise when Rubio arrives next year and Beasley,Love,Flynn,Johnson,Brewer,Webster, all gaining experience together they WILL be a playoff team in 2 years max, he has made a lot of good moves and i would rather have a GM like Kahn that tries to improve his team daily and makes alot of moves, then a GM like Presti, that plays the lets save money and just compete and not make moves to put us into championship contention game, if Presti was active Hollinger wouldnt have us 9th in the west and out of the playoffs in his projections, and Hollinger isnt some idiot running numbers he is espn’s top stat guy, his projections deserve a little credit, also if Westbrook or KD miss games this year we are f****d, but anyways i hate people bad mouthing Kahn when he has done the most of all GM’s to turn his team around the last 1-2 years other than Pat Riley, Presti should take notes, and make something happen, I would trade Presti for Kahn actually i would trade Presti/Harden for Kahn/5 dollars
Hello Minnesota fan.
@f5alcon
Our guard rotation is still entact. Thabo and James will need to spend more time at the 3, but Ivey and Cook (or Peterson) can help extend the rotations. I don't think we'll need both Cook and Peterson. White (IMO) can play some time at the 3 as well.
I think the chances of winning this game are slim. So let's use this game to get some of our developing players more legit on court time. I would like to see Aldrich and Mullens get minutes tonight.